Who doesn’t love Inside the NBA? Charles Barkley, Shaquille O’Neal, Kenny Smith, and Ernie Johnson Jr. are gold. Well, you can’t get more words to describe them. But sadly, TNT’s deal with the NBA expires after this season and the show could disband. Most fans don’t forgive Adam Silver for pulling the plug on TNT. Well, the emotions came on full display with the four icons donning captain hats. The cause of it became when the Golden State Warriors went against the Dallas Mavericks with the game surrounding Klay Thompson’s return to the Chase Center.

Before the game, the Warriors gave a fitting tribute to one of their prodigal sons after dedicating a video for him. When the lights went off, a sea of captain hats went on to welcome Klay Thompson back to the Warriors. Around 18,064 fans donned the captain hats supporting Thompson’s affinity for taking his boat on San Francisco Bay, sometimes using it to commute to Chase Center for games.

Oh yes, Klay certainly stands out from the rest. After taking his boat to travel for practice, he earned the moniker “Captain Klay”. But fans noticed how Inside the NBA crew wore Captain Klay hats and these memorable moments of Inside the NBA on TNT made fans wonder why the league failed to renew the contract.

Well, money talks doesn’t it?

The NBA will receive an extraordinary $77 billion over 11 years from the 2025-26 season. Significantly, the league officially struck agreements with ESPN, Amazon, and NBC to raise the broadcasting benchmark. The deal certainly has advantages in providing more coverage for the WNBA who would love the attention with all that’s happening in the league. With TNT out of the picture, NBC’s deal will earn the NBA over $27 billion, while the NFL earned $22 billion.

Yes, it’s really astonishing the amount of money pumped into the league. After a 34-year partnership concluded, fans went online to voice their opinions.

Fans react to Adam Silver’s $77 billion deal which will officially end Inside the NBA on TNT

“They destroy everything we love under the excuse of business,” this user stated, citing the league takes away all the good things from the fans. Most fans want the game to flow and the use of technology in various sports caused a divide of opinions. With the replay center coming in to judge calls, the game slows down, with the referees checking for fouls before the actual foul call. All in all, the game’s gotten slow.

Everyone knows Inside the NBA offers fans in-depth coverage of the games. Shaq and Barkley often go head-to-head with some great analysis or random wild takes. It keeps the show going, and this user pointed out, “Everything about this show makes watching the NBA so much more entertaining. The other national networks are square in comparison.”

Two users pointed out, “I hope it never ends” and “@NBAonTNT crew needs to stay together.” Oh yes, the chemistry between the four people ranks off the charts. With their influence, soccer started CBS Sports Golazo with Kate Abdo, Thierry Henry, Jamie Carragher, and Micah Richards. Like the Inside the NBA crew, they offer expert opinions about soccer games.

However, one user stated, “I’m not. A bunch of has beens who Look bored”. Apparently, the fan doesn’t bother with the show’s conclusion, as he had a wild take on how they chatted with each other constantly.

To sum up, most fans miss or some don’t. But Inside the NBA paved the way for sports analysis shows to level up. Their insights through an entertainment medium engaged the fans for a long time. Sadly, we hope they can huddle up to start their own show or Adam Silver can come out with something.